Cover Alexa Abitbol, director of the high jewellery workshops at Cartier
Alexa Abitbol, director of the high jewellery workshops at Cartier
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In its En Équilibre high jewellery collection, Cartier finds harmony in the tension of opposites. Alexa Abitbol, the maison’s director of high jewellery workshops, reveals why the most compelling creations often lie in the delicate dance between what we see and what remains unseen
Balance is a deceptively simple idea. In the world of high jewellery, there is no mathematical formula to achieve it, yet it demands an exacting, almost obsessive choreography of stone, structure and craftsmanship. With its latest high jewellery collection, En Équilibre—French for “in balance”—Cartier explores this principle through three chapters comprising creations that illustrate the razor-thin margin between tension and restraint.
For Alexa Abitbol, the maison’s director of high jewellery workshops, the challenge of achieving balance is undeniable. “The real difficulty,” she explains, “is the technical transcription of the original aesthetic intention.” Achieving that sense of ease is a feat of engineering. It requires a meticulous calibration of weight and articulation to ensure that a cascade of diamonds possesses the fluidity of silk rather than the rigidity of armor. It is the paradox of the craft: the more spectacular the stones, the more effortless the structure must appear to support them.
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Above Alexa Abitbol, director of the high jewellery workshops at Cartier
Alexa Abitbol, director of the high jewellery workshops at Cartier
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In high jewellery, she notes, the beauty of a piece must always be matched by its wearability. “A creation has to sit naturally on the body. The wearer should almost forget it is there,” says Abitbol. Achieving that sense of ease requires a careful calibration of weight, articulation and structure, ensuring that even the most spectacular stones feel effortless when worn.
This search for equilibrium finds its most daring expression in the evolution of Cartier’s most enduring emblem: the panther. Since its debut in the early 20th century, the animal has embodied a specific kind of tension, often captured in a moment of imposing yet majestic movement.
In En Équilibre, the panther takes several forms, from a figure to a suggestion. This is best captured in the Tsagaan necklace, where a snow leopard emerges like a ghost from a meticulous lace-like landscape of kite, lozenge and triangle-cut diamonds. The animal is not immediately visible. Instead, it reveals itself gradually; as the wearer moves, the interlaced geometric motifs and deliberate negative spaces cause the feline’s head to appear and disappear.
Above Tsagaan necklace in white gold set with onyx and diamonds from chapter one of Cartier’s En Équilibre high jewellery collection
Tsagaan necklace in white gold set with onyx and diamonds from chapter one of Cartier’s En Équilibre high jewellery collection
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“What I like is that it evokes a hidden panther,” Abitbol says. “Sometimes you don’t see it at first glance, but once you have seen it, it’s impossible to unsee.” This is where the collection’s title truly breathes: the negative space between the gems are just as structural as the stones themselves. It took more than 1,200 hours of work to create a piece meant to feel as fleeting as a shadow.
The motif also reflects the importance of craftsmanship within the maison. At Cartier, the making of high jewellery depends not only on technical mastery, but on the transmission of specialised skills across generations within the ateliers.
“Certain techniques require years to master,” Abitbol explains. “They cannot simply be written down—they must be learned through the hands.” From stone setting and polishing to gem carving and assembly, each métier contributes to the final harmony of the piece.
Above Cygnuli brooch in white gold set with grey chalcedony, black jade and diamonds from chapter one
Cygnuli brooch in white gold set with grey chalcedony, black jade and diamonds from chapter one
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That commitment to preserving specialised craft is also visible in En Équilibre pieces such as the Cygnuli brooch, which honours one of the maison’s most important métiers: glyptics, the art of sculpting precious stones. Here, Cartier’s artisans have transformed a block of grey chalcedony into a young swan, its softly carved form reflecting the meaning of the name Cygnuli—the Latin translation of cygneaux, or young swans, whose plumage is grey before turning white.
While birds have fascinated the house for over a century, the swan is a rare guest in the Cartier bestiary. The result is strikingly naturalistic: a dark beak carved from black jade and finely articulated feathers. Suspended beneath this swan is a 1.25-carat pear‑shaped diamond, providing a final note of movement and light.
Above Anchored by a 74.10-carat green tourmaline and a 14.91-carat coral drop, the Panthères Reflexio necklace from chapter two of En Équilibre features symmetrically strung tourmalines framing two mirrored panthers.
Anchored by a 74.10-carat green tourmaline and a 14.91-carat coral drop, the Panthères Reflexio necklace from chapter two of En Équilibre features symmetrically strung tourmalines framing two mirrored panthers.
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While the En Équilibre collection strives for balance, Abitbol says the true soul of a piece lies in its humanity. “I think that handmade craftsmanship conveys the most important emotion,” she reflects. While a machine aims for a cold, sterile perfection, the human hand strives for excellence—a pursuit that allows for a different kind of beauty.
“Crafting by hand introduces a human element that a machine simply cannot replicate,” she says. “There are microscopic traces of the artisan—parts that may not be ‘perfect’ in a technical sense, which the eye may not catch, but the heart certainly feels. It is in these subtle, human variations that the true emotion of the piece is found.”
For Abitbol, these creations demonstrate that craftsmanship and creativity are inseparable. The equilibrium of the En Équilibre collection is not just found in the weight of the gold or the setting of the diamonds, but in the harmony of the atelier itself. Just as gemstones and structure must be balanced within a design, so too must the different métiers—the gem-setters, polishers and carvers—work in unison to realise the original vision. In the end, the success of a high jewellery creation lies in that invisible alignment its wearer may never see.
Credits
Images: Cartier
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Annabel Tan is the Editor of Watches and Jewellery at Tatler Singapore, where she covers all things luxury timepieces and fine jewellery across both print and digital platforms. She is also the Editor of Tatler GMT Singapore, a role that deepens her fascination with the ever-evolving world of watchmaking. Outside of work, she’s usually on the hunt for her next favourite watch that she can’t afford, planning her next beach getaway, or catching up on the latest Formula 1 race.
